Six Cancelled At History After Two Seasons

History has decided that its military drama Six has had its final mission. The high-octane series, which is currently in the midst of airing its second season, has been cancelled by the network in a strange reflection of how it started.

Six premiered in January 2017 and quickly got renewed the following month; its second season didn't arrive for a long while, premiering nearly a year-and-a-half later in late May of this year, and got cancelled a month later. The show initially revolved around the members of the Navy's SEAL Team Six, embarking on a personal mission that involved the rescue and recovery of their former leader, Walton Goggins' Rip Taggart. That narrative shifted following the events of Season 1, which ultimately left Rip murdered. (It should be TV blasphemy to kill off any Goggins character.) Accordingly, Season 2 has involved the team working to finish off the terrorist cell responsible for Rip's death.

News of the Six's cancellation comes quite a bit before the second season has finished airing, with several episodes still left to air. With weeks left before fans discover how the series will wrap-up, it is unclear if it will end on a huge cliffhanger, or with the closure that fans will be looking for after watching for the first 15 episodes. It does not seem likely the show will join many other cancelled series in 2018 in working to find another home elsewhere, though anything is possible.

From the sound of things, History's decision was based on Six's viewership and ratings, which have seen serious deterioration from the Season 1 audience, which was pretty impressive for a History original. So why make the decision before the second season has had time to finish airing? That angle apparently had to with the cast's contract options, which were set to expire at the end of this week, per Deadline. History's decision means the stars are now available to pursue other projects, so it will be interesting to see what they will appear in next. Perhaps the HaloTV show or some other military-based series?

While there is no early word on if Six will conclude with a sense of closure, a left-field cliffhanger would undoubtedly add to the frustration of fans who are sad the show is coming to an end in the first place. They deserve a proper ending for sticking with the show through its cast changes and delayed hiatus between season. Outside of Vikings, History has struggled to find another scripted series that has amassed substantial success. Six appeared to be that show when it premiered last year. A year can make a huge difference, and in the case of Six, it was not a positive one.

The final episodes of Six will air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on History. For new and returning television shows you can anticipate watching over the next couple months, check out CinemaBlend's guide to TV's summer premieres.